Abstract: Abstract Polyethylene pipe is widely used in laying, maintenance and replacement of buried pipelines due to its good toughness, corrosion resistance and seismic resistance. In this paper, the research progress of polyethylene pipeline defect detection technologies was reviewed in detail from the aspects of ultrasonic detection technology, phased array ultrasonic technique, time-of-flight diffraction and X-ray digital radiography detection. Finally, the problems in current research and research directions in the future were also discussed.